Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a measure requiring training for truck drivers and other commercial vehicle operators on recognizing signs of human trafficking, which currently affects more than 300,000 victims in the state, according to a recent study. less

Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a measure requiring training for truck drivers and other commercial vehicle operators on recognizing signs of human trafficking, which currently affects more than 300,000 victims in ... more

Photo: Marie D. De Jesus /Associated Press

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The new legislation to train commercial drivers, which took effect immediately, follows similar efforts at promoting human trafficking education to members of other professions, including law enforcement, education and social services. less

The new legislation to train commercial drivers, which took effect immediately, follows similar efforts at promoting human trafficking education to members of other professions, including law enforcement, ... more

Photo: Associated Press File Photo

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Abbott signs law to enlist truck drivers in fight against human trafficking

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AUSTIN — A Houston state senator Friday hailed the new state law mandating training for truckers to help combat human trafficking and said she will urge other states to follow Texas’ lead.

“We will be putting thousands of sets of eyes and ears out there to help in our efforts against this this horrible epidemic,” said Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, who authored the legislation.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed the measure Thursday that requires training for truck drivers and other commercial vehicle operators on recognizing signs of human trafficking, which currently affects more than 300,000 victims in the state, according to a recent study.

Under the new law, applicants for a commercial driver’s license will receive information about how to identify signs of human trafficking and how to report it, while public junior colleges and private career schools and colleges that offer commercial driving programs must include “education and training on the recognition and prevention of human trafficking.”

The content of the training will be determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board with input from the attorney general’s office, and may include materials developed by the national nonprofit organization Truckers Against Trafficking, according to Garcia.

The fight against human trafficking has been backed by Abbott and has garnered broad bipartisan support in the Legislature.

The state’s role as a hub for human trafficking spurred the attorney general’s office to establish the Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force in 2009, which makes legislative recommendations for each session.

In the current session, 11 of the task force’s recommendations are included in House Bill 29, an omnibus bill that would increase penalties for traffickers and improve protections for victims, among other items, and several other human trafficking bills are on track to get to the governor’s desk.

The new legislation to train commercial drivers, which took effect immediately, follows similar efforts at promoting human trafficking education to members of other professions, including law enforcement, education and social services.

“Texas has been focusing on anti-human trafficking efforts for over a decade and we lead the nation,” says Mandi Kimball, director of public policy and government affairs for the nonprofit advocacy group Children At Risk. “The Interstate 10 corridor is the No. 1 route for human trafficking; and truck drivers are an important ally in this fight, since we know that at truck stops they come into contact with victims.”

However, the latest legislation only applies to new applicants for commercial driver’s licenses and doesn’t mandate training for existing license holders.

Texas reported a confirmed total of nearly 3,000 human trafficking cases between 2007 and 2016. However, the full extent of the problem is much greater, according to a recent study from the University of Texas.

According to researchers, there are at least 313,000 current victims of human trafficking in Texas, including 79,000 youths forced into prostitution or other types of sex trafficking.